In the world of email, instant messaging and other methods of communication, the fax machine has slowly shifted its way out of a position of prominence. Although it is not as commonly used as it once was, it is still sometimes necessary. If you have to receive a fax, one option that is available is to receive the fax in your email account.

Fax to Email Service

In order to make this process work, you will need to sign up for a fax to email service. With this service, your account comes with a dedicated fax number to which others can send faxes to you. When a fax is sent to your number, it is automatically sent to your email inbox instead. Some of these services charge you a monthly or per use fee. In some cases, you can use a free service in exchange for being subjected to advertising.

Sending Faxes

In addition to receiving faxes in your email inbox, you also have the option of sending faxes in this manner. You will not actually need a fax machine hooked up to a phone line. Instead, when you want to send a fax, you simply scan a document or type one up in your email. Then send the document through your account and it will be sent to another individual's fax machine.

Benefits

One of the major benefits of using a fax to email service is that you do not have to print out the documents. You can simply keep them on your email and save paper if you do not need a hardcopy. Another advantage of this system is that you can get faxes from anywhere. If you are out of the office and have your smartphone, you can check for faxes when waiting for an important document.

Drawbacks

One of the potential drawbacks of using this system is that you may not have a dedicated fax machine with a phone line. This means that you will need to scan documents into your computer before they can be sent. While this is not much more difficult than sending a fax, some who are not technologically savvy could have a problem with this. You will also have to rely on an outside fax to email service to ensure that your documents are sent and received correctly.